Visit by Capitals puts Flyers in a playoff mindset

Visit by Capitals puts Flyers in a playoff mindsetA stretch of games starting with a visit from Washington on Tuesday has Philadelphia stressing execution and attention to detail.

PHILADELPHIA -- No offense to the Thrashers, Maple Leafs, Oilers and Panthers, but the Philadelphia Flyers players admit there's a different mindset going into Tuesday's visit by the Washington Capitals (7:30 p.m. ET, VERSUS, TSN2).

For the first time in a month, the Flyers will play consecutive games against teams in their respective conference's top eight.

It's a big change from their previous 11 games, when they faced teams in playoff spots just twice; however, they went 5-4-2 in that stretch, and played some of their worst hockey of the season.

Pronger progressing

PHILADELPHIA -- Flyers All-Star defenseman Chris Pronger still is wearing a yellow no-contact practice jersey, but Tuesday saw him stickhandling with the puck, shooting and passing as he makes the next step in his recovery from surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand.

Pronger refused to address the media after practice, but teammates certainly were happy to talk about their workhorse defender.

"I know he's got a little ways to go but I know he's going to do everything he can do," fellow defenseman Braydon Coburn told NHL.com. "As soon as he's cleared to go he's going to be in the lineup right way because he's keeping on top of his conditioning and he's working hard."

Goaltender Brian Boucher said while it's never good to see a teammate get hurt, a hand injury is about the best-case scenario.

"The fortunate thing with his injury is he's able to skate and stay in some skating shape," he told NHL.com. "I think that's a bonus. You hate to see a guy get hurt, but if there's an injury you could have, you want it be up there so he can keep the skating legs. He's a hard worker. I'm sure he'll be back before scheduled and he'll be helping us in no time."

Pronger had surgery March 15, and recovery time was estimated at 3-4 weeks. If Pronger makes it back at the early end of that timetable, he'll return April 3, which would give him four regular-season games prior to the start of the playoffs. If he needs the full month, his next game will be in the postseason.

Pronger had said previously he would like to return sometime before the regular season ends.

"It'd be nice," he said. "It's never easy to hop right back in. But the thing with this injury is I'm going to be able to be skating and practicing and doing all the rest of that stuff while I'm in the recovery stage, which helps. It's a lot different than when I hurt my foot and I wasn't able to skate or do anything on the ice. This is a little bit different, and I shouldn't be too far off whenever I can come back."

-- Adam Kimelman, NHL.com

"When we struggled, I don't know if it was lack of effort or lack of focus," defenseman Braydon Coburn told NHL.com. "I don't think it was lack of effort. I know guys were busting their humps. I think it was lack of execution and focus."

If there's anything that can sharpen a team's focus, it's playing the teams closest to you in the standings. The Flyers enter Tuesday's game with a two-point lead on the Capitals for the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Regardless of the result the Flyers will go to sleep Tuesday still atop the standings, but if they lose in regulation it only will be because of a tiebreaker.

And after Tuesday's game, there's a clash with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers' nearest competitor in the Atlantic Division, on Thursday. The Flyers hold a four-point advantage on the Pens entering Tuesday's action.

"There's no question it's a big game," goaltender Brian Boucher told NHL.com. "You hear people saying we've been playing teams below us in the standings and that it's hard to get up for them -- maybe there's a case of that, I don’t know.

"But if you can't get up for this game, you've got to give your head a shake. This is as big as its going to get for us right now, and it’s a big test."

The Caps enter with 10 wins in their last 11 games, and although they'll be without All-Star sniper Alex Ovechkin, Washington boasts a strong, deep lineup, a solid defense and good goaltending.

"They've got a great team, great depth, a lot of talent up front," said Coburn, who has played more than 27 minutes in two straight games. "For me it doesn't change a thing."

The Flyers enter a confident bunch, having secured their spot in the playoffs Saturday with a 3-2 shootout win in Dallas. The players believe it was the kind of effort they need to see more of, and believe some of that was due to the fact that the Stars were sixth in the Western Conference.

After playing the Caps, three of the Flyers' next four games will be against playoff competition -- two meetings with the Penguins sandwiched around a game against the Northeast Division-leading Bruins.

"I don't think we were looking ahead, but obviously we're finally playing some big games now," forward Danny Briere told NHL.com. "Dallas was a big game for us. … I liked that last game. I'm excited about tonight, Pittsburgh coming in Thursday. The next couple weeks, staring with the Dallas game, there's a lot of meaningful games. Maybe it'll make us play with a little more urgency, which is good coming down the stretch.

"It's been a long while since we had big games like we have tonight and Thursday. I think the guys will definitely be a little more excited for those two games compared to the games we have played for past month."

Around the rink: Sergei Bobrovsky will start in goal for the Flyers on Tuesday. … Philadelphia will be without forward Jody Shelley for about a month due to a broken orbital bone around his left eye. He was hit by a puck in practice Monday. Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said Shelley will have surgery on Thursday. … Nick Boynton will return to the lineup after missing the last two games as a healthy scratch. The team also recalled defenseman Danny Syvret from AHL Adirondack.

Contact Adam Kimelman at akimelman@nhl.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK

He's only 17 but he can see the ice so well and he moves the puck and goes to the open ice all the time, so I just think he's a player that is ready to play in the NHL. I'm really looking forward to coaching someone like this.

— U.S. National Junior Team coach Ron Wilson on Auston Matthews, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft